To Have and To Hold
by pretense
Summary: There's a stark difference between being there for someone and being with someone. Makoto thought he knew this better than anyone else but then… but then.
1. Chapter 1

With the help of a little wax, Makoto slicks back his bangs, keeping them out of his eyes. Looking his reflection up and down, he smooths out the hem of his vest and adjusts the thin necktie so that it draws a straight line down his front.

"Tachibana, your two o'clock is here," someone calls. "Table four."

"Roger! I'll be right out!" Makoto fixes his collar one last time before turning away from the mirror. He enters the kitchenette adjoining the locker room, picking up the tray of tea, biscuits, and sweets he has prepared beforehand and exiting through the rosewood doors.

Tables for two are set up all over the room, a combination of intricate woodwork, plush seats, and ambient lighting embodying the romantic mood to their very core. Table four is right at the center, underneath the many hanging glass decorations carved with rosettes and tinted with their namesake's hue. Makoto arrives with a smile set in place.

"Good afternoon, Nanase-dono."

The woman already seated on the table looks up from her mobile phone, a perfectly manicured finger swiping across the screen to close the application. A smile lifts her red-painted lips. "Tachibana-kun. It's good to see you well."

* * *

At age 21, Makoto Tachibana never imagined that he'll be working at a host club… even if it's only part-time. Having a degree in Literature with a minor in English Studies doesn't connect with hosting, not really. It's not that he has anything against the concept of it; in fact, Makoto has been an avid admirer of maid cafes in his teenage years so their male counterpart shouldn't be an issue for him. What initially drew him to it isn't just the costumes. Well, okay, maybe a lot of it comes from the costumes but, honestly, Makoto was amazed - he is still amazed - at how a mere friendly presence can render his worries insignificant, even if it's just for an hour or less.

Makoto is extremely friendly by nature and he can't help but worry about about other people's well-being. A friend majoring in Psychology once told him it's probably just a big brother complex and Makoto thinks she may be right. Not that that'll stop him.

It's this same friend that told him how physical pains are curable in most cases, and that it's the emotional scars that are harder to heal - they are also easier to hide. But for a perceptive man like Makoto, it's difficult to walk around everyday and see all those false smiles staring back at him.

People have called him selfless, a softie, sometimes a blind idealist. Makoto chooses to believe he's just being helpful in his own way.

He easily learns that being a patron is far different from being the host. As much as Makoto wants to be of true help to his clients, the manager - and most everyone in the business - has strictly instructed him to keep things professional. Makoto understands why, he knows that misdirected affections are more of a hazard than help, so he has consigned himself to keeping his private life separate. He shares just enough, gives his unbiased opinions only when asked, he lends a shoulder when the ladies need a place to lean on. He makes it clear that he's merely playing the role they need him to and so far it has worked splendidly.

He has risen to become one of the favorites in the few months since he's started working at the host club and the salary easily covers his bills; Makoto sends most of it to his family back in the prefectures. Much more rewarding than the pay is the feeling that he's helping his clients open up to love once again, that he's putting a smile back on their faces - a true smile this time around, one that's rooted to a happiness deep within.

* * *

Makoto sets the small vase of hydrangeas to the side, making space for his tray of goods. He pours tea into a porcelain cup, adding two cubes of sugar just as Mrs. Nanase preferred. The silver teaspoon clinks as he sets it down on the saucer before passing the drink to his client.

Mrs. Nanase takes the fine china into her equally smooth hands, free from any jewelry. She breathes in the tea's aroma, taking a quiet sip, soaking up the violin music playing.

He takes quick note of Mrs. Nanase's appearance: the premature streaks of gray lining her straight black hair tied in its usual bun, the bags under her eyes hidden underneath layers of foundation, ; it hasn't been an easy couple of weeks for her, he can tell.

"Just drinking tea with you calms me down, Tachibana-kun, thank you." Mrs. Nanase peers at him over the teacup's lip, her blue eyes shining with gratitude.

"I'm glad to be of help," Makoto replies, hands folded neatly on his lap. "How have you been? Was the business trip successful?"

"Oh, you remember that?" Mrs. Nanase puts down her cup, picking a cherry blossom-shaped biscuit from the tray. A sugary sheen coats the thin, bite-sized treats. "It went fine. The weather was colder than expected but we got ahold of the account, no problem."

"I wouldn't have expected less of you."

"Really now? So tell me, did you expect this?" Mrs. Nanase reaches for something at her side, revealing a parcel tied with a dark-green bow.

"For me?" Makoto takes the gift, blushing. "You didn't have to."

"How could I not?" Mrs. Nanase pinches the young man's cheeks before retracting her hand. "You're just adorable. Open it, quick."

He pulls a soft cream scarf from the wrappings, hand-knitted according to the tag. "This is beautiful."

"Isn't it?"

"I'll have to save it for special occasions." Makoto wraps the scarf loosely around his neck, careful to keep it under his collar. "Just like now."

"Oh, you're such a sweet-talker." A trill of a laugh slips out even as Mrs. Nanase covers her mouth to retain a demure image. "And it looks perfect on you."

"Thank you very much." Makoto smiles genuinely.

"I got a similar one for my Haruka," Mrs. Nanase continues, picking up her teacup with a small smile. "He's always in the water so I don't want him to catch a cold. His team went to Nationals last year, have I told you about that?"

She has, of course. Countless times in fact, that Makoto has almost memorized the arrangement of every award in the photo of Haruka's trophy case she keeps showing him. The awards are in her office since Haruka doesn't like displaying them at home, apparently. "He's an amazing kid," Makoto assures her. "Do you think he'll pursue swimming as a profession?" Talking about her son is the easiest way to keep Mrs. Nanase in good spirits.

The china is warm and empty when Mrs. Nanase puts down her drink. "I hope so, I mean, he's so serious about it. Rarely talks about anything else. He… he rarely talks at all, actually."

"I'm sure he was grateful for the scarf," Makoto appeases, refilling the empty cup. "I know I am."

"You know he's not very expressive." Mrs. Nanase gives a wistful sigh. "But I think he does like the scarf as well. Can't really tell what kids are thinking at that age. Their friends tend to know more than their parents do, am I right?"

The smooth liquid ripples in the cup as Makoto cuts off the stream of tea with a well-measured flick of his wrists. "Doesn't his school have PTA meetings? Those are supposed to keep you in touch with your child's academic progress..."

"Oh they do, but, I was stuck in a board meeting that whole weekend when they scheduled it," Mrs. Nanase explains, her tone not entirely proud. It turns curt with her follow-up statement. "I told the husband about it but I don't think he went either."

Makoto turns the teapot a little so the spout faces away from the blooming hydrangea. He masks his disappointment with a tactful, "There's always next time, I suppose. Would you take another biscuit? The round one over there is orange cream. It goes well with today's tea."

"You know I'm not much of a citrus lover but since you suggested it…" Mrs. Nanase bites into the confectionary. "It's quite good. Did you make these?"

"Not by myself. It's a recipe from Rei-kun's grandmother," Makoto shares. "If you have a particular kind of cookie in mind, I can prepare it for you next time."

"How thoughtful of you, but I think I'll pass, I'm not here for the biscuits, after all."

"That is true." Makoto flashes her a charming smile. "You know the summer tournaments will be starting up soon."

"Hm?"

"For swimming," Makoto clarifies.

"Oh, yes, I suppose it is."

Undeterred, Makoto keeps his tone light, engaging. "I bet your son will bring spectacular achievements again this year."

Mrs. Nanase indulges him with a laugh. "I'd better install a new shelf in my office, then."

"Don't you go to his swim meets?" Makoto asks, having been curious about it for so long.

"I used to," Mrs. Nanase reveals. "Back in the day, the husband and I would watch and cheer for our Haruka - not that he needed any more encouragement but just being there for him felt wonderful." She takes a sip of tea. "But then… Well, you know what happened…"

Makoto nods understandingly. "He still comes home, right?"

"Less and less frequently. Not that I would know…"

* * *

Haruka enters the silent house in an equally noiseless manner. He takes off his shoes and sets them in the bottom left corner of the shelves by the entrance hall. The cleaning lady has just left judging by the immaculate shine of the floor.

He heads for the kitchen to get a juice box before retreating to his room, passing by countless closed doors. Haruka drops his school bag on his bed, lying just beside it and closing his eyes, juice box carefully held upright. His muscles are still singing, body wanting more contact with the water which he'd just left.

Along with the calm beating of his heart, he hears echoing laughter. Still, he can't find any semblance of shame whatsoever, even though Rin would surely tease him about it for weeks on end. When he stepped into the gymnasium and blurted out those words, there was no hesitation - it's just the plain truth.

"_I'm hom_e…"

* * *

The lights flicker off and everyone goes their own way. Makoto pulls his cardigan closer, waiting for his friend to lock-up the place.

"Did you hear?" Rei says as he pockets the front door's key. "Management is thinking of expanding into the next town."

"Really? I heard Kaede mention something about that but I thought it was just his usual jokes," Makoto surmises, hailing a cab. "You want to hang out at my place?"

Rei shrugs. "Sure, but I can't stay over too late; morning shift, you know."

"You're really such a hard worker," Makoto jests. "Probably why you've got your schedule so full."

"Please." Rei shuts the car door, pausing for a bit to inform the driver of their destination. "You're the one who's fully booked until the end of the month."

Makoto timidly scratches at his cheek. "Well that's…"

"I almost regret referring you to the manager now, you're taking all the customers."

"Now, now, Rei, don't talk like that…"

"I was just kidding, jeez, lighten up." Rei smiles slightly. "You handle the ladies well, I can't fault you for that. "

"I wish," Makoto scoffs. "I know I've made this pledge to bring out their truest smiles but... I'm starting to feel that I'm running out of sympathy here..."

"Let me guess, it's Mrs. Nanase again."

"It's not like I don't understand her situation - I do! It's common enough, none less tragic obviously, but..." Makoto fiddles with his phone strap. "You'd think that instead of spending her time and money on rendezvousing with me, she'd be with her son."

"Does he know?"

"No, she's keeping him sheltered from it all. She thinks it's for his own good but..."

"That's not going to pretty." Rei adjusts his glasses. "So what are you planning to do about it?"

"_Can_ I do anything about it?" Makoto sighs.

Rei wisely chooses to keep his mouth shut.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm basically trying to subsist on fanfic-writing until we get our show back next summer~ So yes, comments and critiques help feed the plotorcas that entertain my muse which gets me writing consistently

Also, this Mako and the Haru to this Mako have a tumblr (currently under construction) where we'll be putting up fic ideas. Mostly AUs. Test out the waters at **alternateswimmers**~ the masterlist page has two AUs open... though we're not quite sure what we're going to do it yet... If the chapters for this fic turn up slow, it's because I'm making a heckton of tumblr pages I don't know what to do with :D


	2. Chapter 2

It's a bit foolish that his heart is pounding so loud at this moment.

Makoto steps back, getting his breathing in check. The swimming complex appears to be staring him down - nevermind its cheerful wall decals of cartoon children enjoying the water. Makoto feels like he should make some sort of votive offering to show that he means no harm.

He checks his phone, rereading the message for the millionth time ever since he received it last Monday. It's Friday now, and he has finally plucked up enough courage to come. To be fair, he didn't expect to get anywhere on plain dumb luck... but considering that he _did_ send a mass message to his old varsity friends asking if anyone knew about the Iwatobi Swim Club… well, the results shouldn't have surprised him. What surprised him, though, is the fact that he's actually following through.

Makoto respects that people have private lives just as much as he wishes for others to respect his own privacy. Getting involved with clients outside of the workplace is a big no-no. He _knows_ that he shouldn't meddle like this but the matter won't leave his mind. It's been more than a week since he's seen Mrs. Nanase and try as he might, as is what usually happens after a sit down with her, he's still hungover. He's been putting this off long enough.

The bicycle rack up front is empty yet sounds of splashing water echo with children's laughter from within. Makoto takes the side entrance as instructed, peering through the door's window and trying to spot his acquaintance. He counts at least a dozen kids in there, some doing laps, others hanging around waiting for their turn. A blonde man in his late thirties is shouting through a megaphone for the kids to watch their form; Makoto inadvertently remembers his old swim coach. The shrill sound of a whistle cuts through his musings and a familiar voice reaches his ears.

"Alright! Fujiwara-kun, Iisa-chan, Ichinomiya-kun, and Ikkinose-kun, take your marks!"

Standing at the end of the row of starting blocks is a brunette in a swimmer's bun. She pinches the cheek of the shortest of the group, a kid with curly blond hair peeking out from his swim cap. He swats her hand away, huffing as he adjusts his pink-tinted goggles.

Makoto smiles in recognition, slipping in through the open doors as the young woman signals the start of another lap with a blow of her whistle. He cautiously approaches her, hands in his pockets and trying to look unsuspicious in a room filled with middle-schoolers.

Ever-perceptive, she spots him the second he gets within a twelve-feet radius of her. Eyes sparkling under long lashes, the assistant coach gasps and claps her hand together. "Mako-chan! You made it!"

With a shy wave of his hand, Makoto stays where he is, unwilling to intrude, but the brunette bounces over to him instead.

"Stop being so shy," she calls him out with a friendly slap on the chest. "And what took you so long?"

"I had to work it around my schedule, you know," Makoto apologizes.

"Ah, still moonlighting at the host club, are you?"

Makoto tenses for a split second. "Izumi-chan, don't reveal such things in a room full of kids…"

"Oi, Hazuki, get back to your post," the coach shouts.

Izumi Hazuki winces at the reprimand, her playful smile faltering. "Yes, coach!" Turning to Makoto, she adds, "Just hang around, practice will be over soon." She then flashes a peace sign to him before rushing back to her corner.

More than a few kids glance his way, curious though not necessarily bothered by this stranger's presence. Makoto picks a seat near the upper portion of the bleachers, watching as the previous batch of swimmers finish their lap and Izumi calls for the next set.

"Kiyotaro-kun, Matsuoka-kun, Miraige-kun, and Nanase-kun, take your marks!"

Makoto watches closely, attention trained on the last boy in line. Nanase, dark-haired and fair-skinned like his mother. He's not particularly tall or short for his age, a bit on the lean side, though, with evident muscles developed from his sport. His facial expression is impossible to decipher from Makoto's vantage point. For a second, Makoto debates relocating to the lower benches to get a closer look but then the whistle blows and the swimmers leap for the water; he's suddenly at the edge of his seat.

* * *

The young Nanase boy is carried by the water, gliding towards the far end of the pool with an ease that has Makoto's breath taking leave of him.

"Nanase-kun's swimming is pretty impressive, huh?" Izumi comes up to where Makoto is holding himself back. With the swim coach gone to attend other important matters, she's left in charge of herding the kids to the bus when it arrives to take them back to school.

Makoto just nods, unable to put his feelings into words. _It's like a seamless union_, he thinks, _the water and Nanase_. There are other swimmers in the pool, horsing around and filling the great room with exuberant laughter but somehow, the swift and silent course of chlorinated liquid through Nanase's agile body sends a much louder message. It's in the moment that he understands Mrs. Nanase's pride.

"Nee-chan, who's your boyfriend?" a sugary tone asks from beside them.

Izumi chokes on air for a second, Makoto blinks down at the kid that barely comes up to his hips.

"Hello," Makoto greets, at the same time that Izumi screeches, "He's not my boyfriend, Iisa-chan!"

"Don't call me Iisa-chan!" The boy pouts, curly hair fluffing up, offended.

"Aw, is this the little brother you kept talking about?" Makoto looks between them, noting the similar features like their cherub cheeks and amethyst eyes.

"The only one," Izumi states, pulling her brother close for a proper introduction. "Iisa-chan, meet Mako-chan, he was captain of our university swim team. Mako-chan, this here's my baby bro."

"Nice to meet you, Hazuki-kun." Makoto gives a small bow.

"Same here, Mako-chan but you can just call me Nagisa!" The younger Hazuki replies, smiling bright.

Izumi pouts at her brother. "Why not 'Iisa-chan'? It's so much cuter!"

Nagisa sticks his tongue out at Izumi. "Nagisa is a girly name as it is. And you're bad at giving nicknames."

"Eh? But Mako-chan doesn't mind being called Mako-chan!"

Makoto scratches his cheek. "It's kind of hard to dissuade you..."

"So what's your not-nickname name, then, Mako-chan?" Nagisa asks.

"Ah, it's Makoto-"

"Tachibana… -san. Right?"

They turn towards the voice, finding a shark-toothed kid smirking up at them from the pool. He pulls himself out of the water with a sharp sort of grace, planting his feet firmly on the ground.

Makoto gets the feeling that he's on the kid's level despite having to look down at him, given his great height. "Ah, yes, that's right. And who might you be?"

"Matsuoka Rin," the newcomer says confidently. "I watched you from the broadcasts of collegiate sports tournaments these past few years and you're pretty good but I'm going to be a much better swimmer than you."

_So bold_, Makoto couldn't help but think, a wry smile pulling at his lips. "It's an honor to meet you, then, o future great swimmer."

Rin's eye twitches. "Are you making fun of me?"

Something about this kid is familiar, though Makoto can't quite put his finger on it just yet, so he merely shakes his head. "Not at all, Matsuoka-kun."

"Your name's girly, too, you know," Rin scrunches his nose up at Makoto, who quickly makes open-palmed gestures of mollification.

"Hey, mind your manners," Izumi scolds.

"It's okay," Makoto assures her. "At the very least, I'm not the only one with a girly name around here…"

Rin colors red while Nagisa giggles. "So there's four of us now!"

"Four?"

Nodding, Nagisa holds up a finger for every name. "Mako-chan, Rin-chan" he ignores Rin's offended interjection. "me, and Haru-chan…"

"Haru… chan?" Makoto blinks.

"That's Nanase-kun," Izumi provides, nodding towards the pool where the boy has just resurfaced in the middle of his lane before diving back in, leaving not a ripple to trace where he'd gone.

"He swims like a dolphin!" Nagisa sighs dreamily.

"So what are you doing here anyway, Tachibana-san?" Rin's voice pulls them back on their feet.

"Me? Oh, I'm just visiting Izumi-chan," Makoto replies, smiling. He knows it's bad to lie (and in front of kids, too) but he can't exactly reveal the real reasons, can he now? "Catching up, you know."

"Not that there's much to catch up on," Izumi adds. "Just the same old swimming stuff for me here."

"I envy Izumi-chan's job, though, she gets to stay close to the pools," Makoto teases, getting a playful slap on the shoulder from his friend in response.

"Then why didn't you become a pro athlete?" Rin crosses his arms, demanding an explanation. "You were good enough to be one."

It's a backhanded sort of compliment and Makoto doesn't miss the past tense used. "Thank you," he says nonetheless. "But I don't think a swimming career is the one for me. You could go for it, though, Matsuoka-kun. Your butterfly is impressive from what I've seen today."

A corner of Rin's fierce expression mellows at that, his crossed arms squeezing a fraction tighter over his chest as he looks away. "T-Thanks."

"Wow~" Nagisa peers at his teammate's face. "Rin-chan's blushing~"

"Am not!" Rin bares his teeth, but it only makes his blush more evident.

Makoto chuckles. _Ah, youth. _

An upbeat ringing gets Izumi pulling out her phone. She presses a button, pausing to read the message. Turning to her charges, she shouts, "Time to hit the showers, everyone! The bus will be here to pick us up in twenty minutes! Be sure to check your belongings and not to leave any trash behind!"

A spattering of yeses come from the kids and they evacuate the pool posthaste; Rin and Nagisa included. The pool empties out in the next ten minutes but Izumi is still eyeing the waters carefully and Makoto soon discovers why.

A dark head of hair rises out, swim cap and goggles pulled off by one hand. Water droplets are sent flying as the boy shakes out his hair.

"Nice try but it's not working on me this time, Nanase-kun." Izumi wears a triumphant grin, a contrast to the blue-eyed boy's look of annoyance.

Nanase sinks back into the pool until the water is covering the lower half of his face, his eyes petulantly staring back.

"How many times do we have to go through this?" Izumi plants a hand on her hip. "I can't leave you to swim without adult supervision. You're not my only responsibility here; I have to watch over the rest of the swim club, too, you know." When the boy only stares, Izumi gives a long-suffering sigh. "Come now, Nanase-kun, don't be difficult. You'll get to swim again on Monday, the pool's not going anywhere."

Makoto chuckles at that, drawing attention to himself. He shrugs at Izumi before looking over at the Nanase boy. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," he placates, getting down on one knee so that they're more leveled. "I'm Makoto Tachibana, Izumi-chan's friend. If you wouldn't mind, I can stay here for a while and watch over you so you can swim a bit more. Is that alright?" He directs that last part to the assistant coach.

Izumi purses her lips. It's not that she doesn't trust Makoto, it's more of Haruka getting more leverage to be disobedient; he was already standoffish to begin with. Then again, Makoto is a saint, maybe some of his good graces will rub off on the kid if they spend some time together. A couple of the kids from the swim team emerge from the locker rooms dressed in casuals and Izumi gives in. "If you're sure, Mako-chan, then I can't see why not."

Haruka rises a bit more from the water, depositing his swimming cap and goggles on the ledge. He stares impassively at Makoto, gauging him quietly. He doesn't need to be watched over, but if that's the key to getting extra swim time then whatever.

"Nanase-kun you better behave," Izumi tells him before turning to her colleague. "Mako-chan, be strict okay? It's almost four now, you better get him out of the water by five. I'm counting on you." Her attention is delineated when she sees the rest of the swim club complete and waiting to depart. The bus should be at the parking lot by now.

"Hey, why is Haru still in the water?" Rin complains, brows knitting tightly together. "Is he getting extra practice time?" He shoots a betrayed look at Izumi, then at Makoto.

"No, he's just being stubborn like usual," Izumi answers, doing a quick headcount of her charges.

Rin bristles. "Then I want to-"

"No."

"Nee-chan, what about me?"

"No." Izumi answers without looking at Nagisa, still making sure that all the kids are accounted for. "Well, now that we're complete - everyone, to the bus." As the kids file out, Rin continues to shoot narrowed looks at Haruka in the water. Nagisa lingers by his sister's side, seeing eye-to-eye with Makoto who's still in his kneeling pose. Izumi's hesitance is clear on her face.

"We'll be fine," Makoto smiles. "It was good seeing you, Izumi-chan. Let's hang out with the old team some time soon."

Izumi finally nods. "Un. Come around to practice again, Mako-chan!"

"See ya!" The Hazuki siblings take their leave, the doors swinging a little as they exit after everyone else.

* * *

Haruka slips through the water, creating a current to push himself forward and around the liquid domain. He glides down to the bottom, absently touching the tiles with the tips of his fingers. His eyes sting a little, unprotected by goggles, but he persists anyway. Haruka swims for as long as he can hold his breath, surfacing with a gentle _plop_ that echoes in the spacious room.

At the ledge where he'd deposited his swim gear, Haruka finds his "guardian" sitting idly. The man has his jeans rolled up to his knees, loafers off, feet dipped into the glistening water. He wears a fond smile, one that's almost contemplative in the silent atmosphere.

Haruka doesn't know this guy but it's easy to deduce who he is - an acquaintance, Ms. Hazuki's college friend, probably a swimmer too if the way he looks at the water is anything to go by.

"Why don't you swim?"

Makoto looks up, not really expecting the kid to start talking. "Well, I don't have my swimsuit with me, you see," he admits with a wry, one-shouldered shrug.

Haruka just looks at him, disappointment clear in the dip of his brow.

"And I haven't done a lot of swimming lately, either," Makoto shares, smiling. "I'm afraid I'm badly out of shape." He reads something akin to insult flicker in the Nanase boy's eyes just before he turns away from Makoto and submerges once more.

Mrs. Nanase is right. Her son _does _love the water and from what Makoto can see, the kid belongs in there.

Pulling up a leg to support himself, Makoto closes his eyes and lets the easy sway of the water lull him.

* * *

_He knows that longing look._

_"We can probably swim in the ocean soon…" He tries to keep the uncertainty out of his voice, a voice that's meek and yet to crack._

_Blue eyes glimmer as they're fixed upon him. 'Why not now?' they ask._

_"Even though it's already summer, it's still a bit chilly, don't you think?"_

_The boy turns away from him, eyes stormy and downcast._

_A sinking feeling wraps around him, he feels his muscles and bones hollowing out. "W-Well, uh, maybe we could swim today, after all!"_

_"Are you sure?" The raspy, unused voice sounds loud even though he only speaks in whispers._

_"Un." He fumbles with the button on his jumper. "If it's with you, then it's okay."_

_"...Makoto-"_

* * *

"Tachibana-san."

A wet tap on his knee.

"Tachibana-san."

An insistent shake of his leg.

"Tachibana-san, we have to leave."

Makoto blinks, wondering how long he'd dozed off and why his body feels so heavy. He rubs the sleep from his eyes, meeting the deep blue gaze trained at him. _Bluer than the ocean_. The boy's impatience is amplified when he narrows those eyes at him and Makoto quickly gets himself together. "Ah, right, sorry, sorry." He pulls his leg out of the water, getting to his feet and stretching his limbs to wake them up.

It's then that he notices the pool staff setting up their cleaning equipment. He remembers that he's supposed to have Nanase out of the pool before five. The orange watch he wears on his left wrist tells him they still have fifteen minutes. Turning back to the pool, he offers a hand to the young swimmer. There's some hesitation but just as he's about to retract his hand, Nanase reaches out to him.

Haruka gets the odd feeling of being weightless with how little effort it takes for Tachibana to pull him out of the water. He mutters a quick thank you before picking up his cap and goggles. He makes a beeline for the locker rooms to shower and change but his joints lock just as he reaches the door. Looking back at the brunet, Haruka feels like he should say _'I won't take long_' or something along those lines. He meets the kind gaze and quickly decides he's being silly. With a curt nod of acknowledgement (for what, Haruka isn't sure), he proceeds with his original agenda.

With Nanase out of sight, Makoto takes his shoes from the pool's edge and walks over to where he'd left his messenger bag by the bleachers. He fishes out a hand towel to dry his legs, unrolling his pants and slipping his feet back into his shoes. It's a good thing that his Friday schedule is contained in the morning hours, he's feeling fairly sleepy for some reason.

His phone buzzes from his bag and Makoto finds a message from Izumi, following up on Nanase. He types up a reply, assuring her that the kid is out of the water and that he'll get home safe. Once the message is confirmed to be sent, Makoto wonders if the boy would let him - a total stranger - see him home. The Nanase home, where Mrs. Nanase is barely present and Mr. Nanase leaves equally uninhabited. A painful clench around his heart makes Makoto reconsider his plans; he had let himself think about this too much that he has conveniently forgotten the most obvious thing - he's an outsider.

That should've been his first warning but he didn't heed his conscience because he felt pity for the lonely boy Mrs. Nanase kept talking about. Makoto has convinced himself that he can befriend that kid, maybe help him open up to his mother, too, because god knows something needs to bridge those two together. Learning of the boy's affinity for swimming gave Makoto a foothold, their shared love for the sport could be the starting point of this healing process… At least, that was the plan.

So far, Makoto has done nothing but observe the boy and exchange a few words. From those two alone, Makoto sensed that Nanase is plenty independent. A bit of a loner certainly but not so much that he is completely closed off to the rest of the world. He seems to get along with his peers for the most part and Makoto can see that he definitely has friends here - admirers, rivals, it's all good fun while they're still young, right?

The steady sound of footsteps heading for him makes Makoto stop his musings and look up, finding an expectant young swimmer waiting on him. For being the supposedly responsible adult between the two of them, Makoto is amused at how their actions show otherwise. He gets up, making sure that Nanase didn't forget anything before heading out the doors. He can't help but notice how often the kid looks back at the pool before they get out; Makoto counts four times, though extended staring could count as two to make that five.

Haruka leads the way to the bus stop, the schedule posted informs them that the next ride would be arriving in approximately four minutes. The street is mostly empty, doused liberally with sunset orange but the waiting shed covers them from the sun's dying glare.

Makoto keeps his hands in his pockets, he still has a lot of questions but he doesn't think now is the right time for them. He wonders if he should even pursue them because Nanase just proved that he doesn't need looking-after; well, he doesn't _want _to be looked after, at the very least. It's as admirable as it is just a tiny bit sad.

"Is your house uptown, as well?" Haruka asks, breaking the monotonous air.

Underneath the innocent question is a horde of others that strike Makoto as daunting to come from such a small boy. Nevertheless, he shakes his head in the negative. "Nah, I'm just waiting for you to get on your bus so I can be sure you're safe on your way." Being one of few words, Makoto recognizes that Nanase is the type to look for answers in the unspoken, for honesty in involuntary responses.

Haruka stares at him, contemplative, like a judge about to give a sentence.

The bus arrives and Makoto can't tell if he's relieved or disappointed by its timing.

Hefting his bag over one shoulder, Haruka looks up at the brunet, a corner of his lips pulled up almost shyly. "Thank you for the extra swim time. See you."

Makoto can only nod, wondering (not for the first time) what exactly it is that he's trying to accomplish here.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm thinking of joining NaNoWriMo this year. It's a spur of the moment decision but that may well mean that this fic will be put to the backburner for a while... Nothing's definite as of yet (I have never done NaNoWriMo before) but who knows~ I mean, there's a hell lot of expansive plots out there.


End file.
